The Eyes Have It
by AllISeeAreStars
Summary: Alternate ending to the end of s5 ep6, The Eyes Have It. Derek is tired and who else to to make him feel better than his Baby Girl. When she shows him the office she fixed up just for him, he decides it's finally time to tell her how he feels.


_"_ _Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the messenger of death will not be able to touch you." -Guru Nanak_

Derek was tired. He knew the whole team was tired, but he felt drug down and utterly exhausted. He wished it was Hotch's job again. He would admit that he liked being in charge, more than he would admit, but it felt awkward and he just wanted it to go back to the way it was a week ago.

He was just finishing his paper work, leaning back, and taking a deep sigh, when Penelope Garcia came over. They flirted nonstop. Always. He loved her as one of his best friends, but more than that. Occasionally he would try to find words to express it. She _was_ his god-given solace. There was no doubt about that. But she was more.

"You are here late," she observed in a playful tone.

"Reports," he sighed, standing up and motioning with the files. "Hotch always stayed later then the rest of us, and now I understand why."

"He doesn't have to write them anymore. Why is he still here?"

Derek looked over to the man's office. "I don't know."

This wasn't necessarily a lie. He didn't know for sure what the man was doing here so late. Perhaps it was just habit, but Derek was sure it had something to do with Foyet. "But I do know I need to get some rest. I got another case starting tomorrow."

"Um, I- before you go, can you help me get something out of storage?"

He looked back at her. God, she was beautiful. He smiled. "Yes, Baby Girl. Anything for you."

He wondered if she knew just how much he meant it. He had flirted back and forth with her mercilessly for years, never taking it further because he didn't want to ruin how great they had it. Then she was dating Kevin, that dweeb that looked like a sheep. And lately, she'd been distant from the rest of the team. She hadn't faltered on the banter, but that was all. It was the minimum she thought required to keep them from wondering. He was worried about the girl that he had fallen in love with.

She smiled and thanked him, her eyes catching on the necklace Tamara had given him. He had tried to give it back, thinking that his girl had been right and he had gotten too close to the girl- giving her the wrong impression. He explained to her that he wasn't interested in her romantically. Tamara had nodded and told him she knew, but to keep the necklace anyway as a matter of thanks and to not forget the good he and the team did.

"Hey, what's that? I haven't seen it before."

He picked it up and slid it into his pocket. "Penelope, there's a lot of my stuff that you haven't seen before."

"Wow, you are a tease," she said.

He didn't want to be. Not anymore. He followed her with a last look to Hotch's light still on. She lead him down a hall to another door and held it open for him, clicking on the light.

"Viola," she said softly with a smile that made his heart skip.

Derek looked around with his hands in his pocket. "What are we doing in Hall's office?"

Penelope looked mischievous. "Um, it's kind of not Hall's office anymore. It's your office."

He heard what she said, but it didn't register. "What?"

Her face lit up in excitement, the smile stuck on her face. "JJ made some calls. Agent Hall's retiring in a month, but he's finishing his caseload at home, so, while you all were away, Mama set to work clearing out the rest of his boxes and setting up an uber office fit for our acting Unit Chief."

She smiled at him in a way that made him want to believe was loving.

"Garcia, this is for real?"

She nodded and looked around, "It's kind of blah for my taste, but I figured you needed to keep up with agency standards." She grabbed his hand and pulled him around the desk and opening a bottom drawer. "I did make you your own secret fun zone."

She handed him a picture frame with a picture she had obviously taken today. He caressed the side of the frame and looked at the picture with an indescribable feeling. Like there was a sunrise in his chest. He looked up at her, still pulling things out of the drawer with a grin.

"Penelope?" He said, a lump lodged in his throat. "I can't believe you did this."

Her face softened. "Of course I did this."

Without thinking about the issues it could cause, Derek took half a step and kissed her. Her lips were soft and tasted like cherries. She was stunned into stillness, not moving. His heart sank against the overwhelming emotion he felt from their lips meeting and he was just about to pull away when her lips moved against his and she was kissing him back. She laid a hand on his hip and he set the picture frame down to cup her face, taking her bottom lip into his mouth and sucking on it lightly.

When they finally pulled away, lips bruised and breathing coming out in pants, he pressed his forehead to hers and let their breaths mingle and tickle his over sensitized lips.

"I'm in love with you, Penelope." After the first admission he felt a rush of excitement and he had to throw everything out of his mouth as it came. As he had been wanting to for a long time. "I love you so much. I come to work and I see you and all I ever want to do is grab you and kiss you. I need to see you. I love when you come to a case with us because I get to see you, but I worry that whatever is going on will hurt you or something. I miss you everyday when I go home. I love you. I love your hair, your craziness, your smile, your laugh, everything about you. I need you. I love you."

Her breath hitched and she kissed him this time, a slow kiss that was over too quickly.

"I love you too," she laughed. "I have since the first time you called me Baby Girl because you didn't know my name. I was afraid to say it though."

"What about Kevin?" He kicked himself for asking, but he had to. He had kissed her and put everything he was into it. Every insecurity, every hope, every feeling. He wanted to be with her. He loved her.

"We broke up almost a month ago," she whispered. "He wasn't you."

Derek grinned and kissed her again, making her step back to catch her balance and catching herself on the open drawer. She gasped in sharp pain and clutched him tighter to keep her upright. He looked down at the drawer and glared at it, pulling her closer.

"Maybe we should continue this elsewhere," she suggested breathlessly.

He swallowed hard, kissing her chastely. "I love you."

"I love you too," Penelope smiled.

 **A/N: Just a one-shot, but I hope you like it. Love always, Skye.**


End file.
